Mumbai Indians 124-9 (Pollard 27; Stoinis 4-15)
Kings XI Punjab 127-3 (Saha 56; McClenaghan 2-24)
Kings XI Punjab win by 7 wickets.
Kings XI Punjab hauled themselves off the bottom of the Indian Premier League (IPL) table with a comfortable win over Mumbai Indians at Visakhapatnam on Friday night.
The ‘home team’ won the toss and surprisingly elected to bat first.
It was a decision that looked like backfiring as Mumbai lost opener Unmukt Chand and one down Ambati Rayudu, both for nought, before they even had 10 runs on the board.
Despite wickets falling at regular intervals, Mumbai managed to steady the ship somewhat, reaching 124 for nine in their 20 overs.
Marcus Stoinis picked up four wickets for Punjab, including two in two balls when he accounted for Krunal Pandya and Kieron Pollard in the 17th over.
Punjab did not get the best of starts to their innings either, as Hashim Amla was given out lbw without scoring from a Tim Southee delivery.
However, India’s Test heroes Murali Vijay (54 not out) and Wriddhiman Saha (56) soon found their stride and formed a partnership that put on 116 runs before the latter edged a Mitchell McClenaghan ball onto his own stumps. Glenn Maxwell followed swiftly after for a duck, with Pollard taking an easy catch.
Punjab were not to be denied, however, as Gurkeerat Singh saw them home with a four, taking them to 127 for three with three overs to spare.
“The wicket suited my bowling,” said all-rounder Stoinis, who was named Man of the Match. “It looked tough to score and I used the odd change of pace. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that we got to chase.
“It was a team effort for sure. All the bowlers bowled well and we got off to a great start,” he added.
Punjab captain Vijay was ecstatic for obvious reasons. “Now everything is falling together. We were missing out on winning moments,” he said.
Previews to Saturday’s games
Bangalore v Gujarat, 2.30pm (UAE time)
Royal Challengers Bangalore have at least one piece of good news ahead of their must-win game against Gujarat Lions. Suresh Raina, the Gujarat captain, is set to miss his first IPL match since the league’s inception in 2008 as he will be away for the birth of his first child.
Bangalore have to win all their remaining four games to have a chance of qualifying for the play-offs, a situation Bangalore captain Virat Kohli said he “loved”.
Bangalore sixth in the table, while Gujarat are joint top with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kolkata v Pune, 6.30pm
Sunil Narine is expected to return for Kolkata Knight Riders’ clash against Rising Pune Supergiants. West Indies spinner mystery Narine, who missed the past two games due to a finger injury, was seen bowling in the nets.
“We’re pretty positive he will be fit for Saturday,” Kolkata’s assistant coach Simon Katich said. “He’s feeling a lot better given that we had a bit of break since our last game against Gujarat.”
Kolkata are fifth in the table, while Pune are bottom.
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